11 Weeks

Today we had a doctors appointment.  Baby A was measuring 11 weeks and 2 days and had a heart rate of 184, Baby B was measuring 10 weeks and 6 days and had a heart rate of 175.  I asked Dr. Kouri about the difference in their measurements and he said it was more likely a human error in measurimg because the difference between their sizes is millimeters.  And, they have moved closer in measurements.  Last time they were 4 or 5 days apart and this time they are 3 days apart.  Dr. Kouri said it is normal for them to measure differently and that there is no reason for concern until later in the pregnancy if they start measuring multiple weeks apart, say, 29 weeks and 34 weeks. 

Anyway, here are there pictures:

If you are curious about the way they are sitting, Baby A is lower than Baby B, and they are facing each other in the womb...not that they can see each other!  Baby A was wide awake and bouncing up and down dealing with a case of the hiccups when this picturewas taken and Baby B was all curled up tightly sleeping.  Our ultrasound tech, poked at Baby B and woke him/her up for a second, but then he/she settled right back down and went to sleep again.  

10 Weeks Today

I am carrying around two little kumquats these days. 

Freaking Out...and ramblings...

I title this post this way because presently it is the opposite of me!  My friend Mel was just commenting on how calm I am regarding this whole new situation...and she actually remarked on how much "thinking" about our new situation I have done.  I can't say that I feel particularly ready for everything that is about to change, and I am certain that my mom, my mother in law, my husband, Holland, and Tracy have all witnessed moments where I was the opposite of calm, but I am trying to focus on what a blessing this is and not worry so much about the specifics of how we are going to make it all work.  We are so lucky!

Here is ane email I sent to my husband, my mom, and Etta, a couple of weeks ago:

On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 11:24 AM, Allison Godwin wrote:
"Things I have learned on BabyCenter.com...

Please know that I am not taking any of this too seriously, as I have decided to not spend time worry about all the little impossibilities of having two children at one time! Therefore, I am not worrying about our 1900 square feet that will be covered with 1700 square feet of toys, strollers, and other baby gear. I am not worried about 3 car seats in one car, or two cribs and a toddler in one room, I am also not worried about travel with 3 babies or the fact that our washing machine will be going 24/7 next year…I am not worrying. I will let everyone else do that.   Below is what I learned on Babycenter.com:

• Your babies first year will cost:  $8,331.00 (times 2)…according to the baby center calculator.
• “So if you're carrying twins, you should add roughly 600 calories to your normal load, which would probably take you to about 2,800 calories a day.”
• “Some experts recommend drinking up to a gallon of water — that's 16 8-ounce glasses — each day. You can get some of your fluids from milk and juice, but water should be your go-to beverage.”  (can y’all just imagine the amount of time that I will be spending running to the restroom?)"

As for Holland and Tracy they have just listened to my stream of consciousness and tried to make sense of it, and both of them have left me feeling much better afterward. 
 
Tracy sent the following quote to me the day after we found out we were having twins, it was on the cover of Frazer's weekly bulletin and she thought it was perfect for me, and it is!
 

“God loves me too much to allow me to miss his greatest blessings just so I can remain comfortable.”

Now, recently, I have been following my friend Deborah's blog very closely and yesterday she wrote the following words and I feel they fit her situation perfectly and bring me some reassurance as well.

"As our days bounce back and forth from good to bad to better to worse, it is important for us to look at the big picture and not simply what is happening in this moment or that. It's like Tera's weight gain. To gauge it from one day to the next would be nerve-wrecking and mind-boggling. But to consider it over a week's time shows a truer picture of her progress. In the same way, God's promises are not withheld on one day and freely given on another. Over the course of time, His sights are set on a big picture that will become clear to us when that time is right."

If you want to follow Deborah's story her blog can be found here.  She is presently on day 29 of her stay in Birmingham where her daughter is staying in the Contnuing Care Nursery.  Tera was born weighing 2 pounds 5 ounces and 15 1/2 inches long at 26 weeks 3 days gestation.  Tera seems to be making great strides everyday and I have enjoyed reading Deborahs posts because she is so inspiring.  Obviously, our overwhelming new situation is nothing comparable to her day to day, but I think that we all go through times where we could use the advice to stop and look at the bigger picture. 

3/17/2011

So it happened…my stomach has popped out! I have been cramping every night since Sunday, so I knew it was coming…but then suddenly there it was.

(this pic is from last Thursday...I was 9 weeks exactly)
Some of you may be thinking, “duh Allison, there are two babies in there.” But, I will have you know that I am nine weeks and if everything is going as planned those two babies are just about an inch long and each the size of a grape. So, this sudden change is just because my muscles (having done this once before) just decided to relax. Now, those of you who know me know I am not really into doing crunches or sit ups, but now that my muscles have relaxed so much I can tell you they were doing a whole lot of work before.  The two pictures below were taken today. 

Pregnancy # 2

So far this pregnancy has been entirely different from my pregnancy with Riley. First, I started getting morning sickness at 5 and half weeks, with Riley I did not start getting sick until nearly 8 weeks…when all the books tell you that you should. Second, I started to have to get up in the middle of the night to pee, almost immediately. Third big difference…I have been starving. When I was pregnant the first time I never felt hungry until I started nursing, but not this time. At about 6 weeks I woke up starving and Michael was startled to not have to beg me to get up one morning because I was already in the kitchen scarfing cheerios. I have had strange back pains that leave me afraid to move, but then disappear as quickly as they started. This time around I just felt pregnant so much earlier in my pregnancy than I did the first time. One morning Michael said, “your having a girl”, and I asked why he thought that assuming he was going to tell me about some crazy dream he had the night before. Instead he responded, “Because there is no way that if you were pregnant with a boy your pregnancy would be this dramatic!”


Or so he thought until we went to the doctor at 7 weeks and 5 days and the ultrasound tech said, “I am sorry guys, I lied to you…there are two babies in here.”

Michael and I both just started laughing, and I did not stop laughing for several hours. Our nurse was trying to show us pictures of the babieS and I was laughing so hard she could not get a good picture. I would stop laughing and be still and then I would start up again. I just could not quit. One baby measured 7 weeks, 5 days and had a heart rate of 164 (baby A), the other baby was measuring 7 weeks, 1 day and had a heart rate of 154 (baby B).

The weird part (as if there is just one weird part) is that on Sunday, Michael said, “when we go for the ultrasound on Tuesday you are not going to find out you are having a miscarriage, instead you are going to find out you are having twins.” He said this because the last three people in his office to get pregnant in his office had twins. There are only 40 people who work for his firm, so this is a bit strange. Michael called his boss, Mark, and told him he might need to get the water checked!

The other weird parts;

• In October we will become a family of five
• Dr. Kouri said I will have a C section
• Neither of the cars we drive can fit 3 car seats in them
• We will need a second crib…(sad story)
• I thought I would have this whole pregnancy thing down the second time around…but then it turns into a multiples pregnancy
• The fact that we now use the term "the twins" instead of  "the baby"...."the twins" just sounds so strange coming out of my mouth

The questions everyone asks:

• Are you serious? Yes
• Do either of us have twins on either side of the family? No
• Was I on any type of fertility medication? No
• Are they identical? No, fraternal
• What are the odds? 1 in 89 pregnancies.

Riley is going to be a big brother!

That is right; it is time for Riley to have a little sister or brother!  But if you ask him he says, “no”.  This morning I said “Riley, you are going to be a great big brother!”  And he said, “no…play with Mommy and Daddy”.  This is because when I asked if he wanted a little brother he said no and when I asked if he wanted a sister he said no….so then I asked, “Riley if you don’t have a little sister or brother then who will you play with?”  Gie Gie said I need to give it a rest and quit asking for a while, and I will, but we only have until October 20^th (if we are lucky) to get him ready!